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OSHP reports no fatals during holiday

Troopers with the Wapakoneta Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol handled no crashes involving injuries or fatalities during the Memorial Day weekend.
Lt. Scott Carrico, commander of the local post, described it as a “nice, quiet weekend.”
He said troopers handled just five property damage crashes.
They made contact with 763 motorists and issued 395 citations and 281 warnings.
With an emphasis on the proper use of safety belts through statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign held annually during Memorial Day weekend, Carrico said troopers issued 65 seat belt citations to motorists during the weekend, which extended from midnight Friday through midnight Monday. Thirteen motorists were arrested for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol (OVI).
Carrico said not only was it a fatality free weekend for the local post but for posts throughout the 11-county district.
Statewide, nine people were killed in nine crashes during the weekend, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Throughout Ohio troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol made more arrests for impaired driving and drugs this Memorial Day weekend compared to the 2010 holiday.
Patrol OVI arrests increased nearly 8 percent and drug arrests were up nearly 22 percent, Lt. Anne Ralston of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.
Crash investigations statewide were on the decline — down nearly 6 percent, Ralston said. Arrests for speed violations of 20 or more miles per hour over the speed limit were down 4 percent.
Locally, additional units worked the road throughout the weekend but enforcement efforts did not change as a result of the Click It or Ticket public safety awareness campaign, Carrico said.
“Our units are using strict compliance when enforcing the safety belt laws on a daily basis,” Carrico said. “It has been proven that safety belts save lives.
“Our goal is to reduce fatal crashes in our patrol area, enforcing crash causing violations and the safety belt law is key to making this reduction,” the lieutenant said.
Statewide, 5,541 safety belt violations were issued — an increase of more than 15 percent since 2010 — during 27,168 enforcement stops as part of a zero-tolerance policy in cooperation with the “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
In 2010, troopers with the Wapakoneta Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol handled 12 crashes, three of which involved injuries and nine of which had property damage, during the first long holiday weekend to kick off the summer season. There were no fatalities and none of the crashes were alcohol related. During this same reporting period, 27 citations were issued for safety belt violations.
More than 900 law enforcement partners around the state, including the Wapakoneta Post of the Ohio State HIghway Patrol, the Wapakoneta and Waynesfield police departments and other agencies in Auglaize County, joined efforts during the weekend to aggressively enforce the seat belt law through the “Click It or Ticket” campaign. Enforcement with emphasis on that violation is to be up through Sunday.